RAVINIAⓇ HEATS UP AUGUST WITH MUST-SEE SUMMER CONCERTS


RAVINIAⓇ HEATS UP AUGUST WITH MUST-SEE SUMMER CONCERTS 

 

Highlights include a mosaic of powerful programs celebrating Black music including “African Queens” project by Soprano Karen Slack, a genre-blurring night of hip-hop with the Roots, jazz sensation Samara Joy, Robert Glasper and J. Ivy, and many more

 

Tickets On Sale Now

 

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Ravinia’s 2024 summer lineup boasts over 100 concerts spanning rock/pop, R&B, classical, jazz, country, Latin, and movies with live orchestra. August promises a vibrant celebration of excellence across many genres, offering a mosaic of unforgettable performances of Black music. Explore some of August’s offerings below. 

 

A Mosaic of Black Music in August

August 1: Soprano and Lyric Opera’s Unlimited 2024-25 Artist-in-Residence Karen Slack, is "not only one of the nation's most celebrated sopranos, but a leading voice in changing and making spaces in classical music" (Trilloquy). The Ravinia Steans Music Institute alum joins pianist Kevin Miller for African Queens, a new project with Ravinia as its lead commissioner. Composers Jasmine Barnes, Damien Geter, Jessie Montgomery, Shawn Okpebholo, Dave Ragland, Carlos Simon, and Joel Thompson—known collectively as the Blacknificent 7— celebrate the history and legacy of seven fierce African queens who were revered as rulers and warriors, yet not widely heralded in the West. The program will be framed by carefully selected traditional repertoire in conversation with the seven new works for voice and piano, woven together through interspersed narrative text.

 

August 7: World-renowned bassist Victor Wooten along with the Wooten Brothers come to Ravinia for a night of spectacular musicianship. Wooten is a five-time Grammy winner, a founding member of the supergroup Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, a passionate teacher, and an author. He was voted one of the top ten bassists of all time by Rolling Stone readers, with that magazine saying that when he "busts out a solo at a concert every jaw in the audience drops to the ground." Since they were young, the five brothers have been a musical tour-de-force redefining the limits of jazz, funk, soul, R&B, rock, and bluegrass. Sons of military parents, their early years were spent living in different states including Hawaii, California, and Virginia, where they shared stages with the likes of Curtis Mayfield, The Temptations, Ramsey Lewis, Stephanie Mills, and War.

August 8: Angélique Kidjo, called "Africa's premier diva" and named one of the most influential people in the world in 2021 by Time Magazine, makes her return to Ravinia to co-headline the Pavilion with Ravinia first-timer Meshell Ndegeocello. The two artists have collaborated together in tribute to salsa legend Celia Cruz, recording the song "La Vida Es Un Carnaval." Kidjo is a Beninese-French singer-songwriter with five Grammy Awards to her name, and is known for her cross-pollinating the West African traditions of her childhood in Benin with elements of American R&B, funk, and jazz as well as influences from Europe and Latin America. Ndegeocello won the 2021 Grammy for Best R&B Song with "Better Than I Imagined," and the American singer-songwriter, rapper, and bassist has "lent her unique blend of spacious melodies, rooted grooves and intricate fingerpicking to tracks by everyone from Madonna to Herbie Hancock and Robert Glasper" (The Guardian). "Across her own albums," The Guardian continues, "Ndegeocello has been honing this sound to create soulful music that interpolates R&B and hip-hop as much as the virtuosity of jazz.”

August 14: Two artists make their Ravinia debuts as Robert Glasper and J. Ivy are in the spotlight at the Pavilion. Grammy Award-winning Glasper is a pianist, songwriter, and producer whose jazz and R&B influences have seen him collaborate with artists like Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Q-Tip, and Common. J. Ivy is a Grammy and Peabody Award winner whose poetry is pioneering and trendsetting in the arenas of music and television.

August 24: Experience a genre-blurring night of hip hop at Ravinia as The Roots, Digable Planets, and Arrested Development take the stage at the Pavilion. Founded by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, The Roots blend hip hop with live instruments, jazz, and improvisatory pop. Known for Grammy-winning hits like "You Got Me" and their collaboration with John Legend on Wake Up!, they’ve also been Jimmy Fallon's house band since 2009. Joining them, Digable Planets, composed of Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, Craig "Doodlebug" Irving, and Mary Ann "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira, brought a jazz-infused style to hip hop with their Grammy-winning "Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" and the gold-certified album Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time And Space). Rounding out the lineup, Arrested Development merges African sounds with hip hop, winning multiple awards with their album 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of.... They continue their mission of cultural consciousness and empowerment through social activism.

August 25: 24-year-old jazz phenom Samara Joy makes her Ravinia debut following the release of her first album on Verve Records, Linger Awhile. That record reached number one on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart, after Joy won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and was named Best New Artist by JazzTimes. "Listening to Joy's approach is a revelation," says All About Jazz. "The ease with which her voice moves, her ability to sing with and without vibrato ... Her phrasing is always spot-on." Joy's distinct vocal stylings have already earned her fans like Anita Baker and Regina King.

August 30: Ravinia hosts the world premiere of The Voice of Whitney: A Symphonic Celebration, an original tribute concert celebrating the “most awarded female artist of all time” (Guinness World Records), Whitney Houston. This dynamic production celebrates the singer’s astounding musical legacy with new, original orchestrations of her sweeping catalog performed by Chicago Philharmonic. From her legendary Super Bowl XXV performance of “The Star Spangled Banner” to timeless hits “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” “Higher Love,” “I Will Always Love You,” and “How Will I Know,” among many others, audiences will be immersed in the world of Whitney as the evening weaves through her iconic songbook, film performances, intimate home videos, and rare never-before-seen photos and footage.

August 31: R&B supergroup TLC and Jamaican dancehall icon Shaggy join forces for a night of their decades of multi-Grammy-winning hits, from T-Boz and Chilli’s chart-toppers “No Scrubs,” “Unpretty,” “Creep,” and “Waterfalls” to the reggae fusion artist’s “It Wasn’t Me,” “Boombastic,” and “Angel.” With over 85 million records on their ledger worldwide, TLC is the best-selling American ‘girl group’ of all time and highlighted by Billboard as the seventh most successful artist of the 1990s. They became the first female group to earn a Diamond Award in record sales with 1994’s CrazySexyCool. Similarly, Shaggy is the only Diamond-selling dancehall artist in music history with more than 40 million albums moved. Including 2000’s number-one Hot Shot, four of his albums have been top-40 hits, and he ranks among the top three streamed reggae artists on Spotify.

 

ABOUT RAVINIAⓇ

Ravinia believes in the power of shared, live-music moments to inspire ourselves and the world. Beyond presenting outstanding performances by the world’s greatest musicians, the nonprofit’s mission to develop broader, more diverse audiences and performers in the music industry can be seen through its community engagement and education programs like Reach Teach Play and the Steans Music Institute. Together, Ravinia’s initiatives serve tens of thousands of students, families, and young professional musicians.

 

The 36-acre park is home to North America’s longest-running outdoor music festival and serves as an enchanting place to experience concerts throughout the summer. Performances range from Yo-Yo Ma to John Legend to the annual summer residency of one of the world’s finest orchestras: the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Guests can bring their own picnics, including food and liquor. A full range of dining options is available at the park, from concession carts to fine dining. Ravinia performances occur rain or shine. Audiences are invited to come early to enjoy various pre-concert activities, including the festival’s sculpture tour, the interactive musical playground KidsLawn, and the Ravinia Music Box.

 

Ravinia is the only private train stop in Illinois, with Metra’s Union Pacific North line stopping at the Grand Entrance. Since 2021, in collaboration with Metra, all trains on the Union Pacific Line honor Ravinia tickets as train fares; patrons can show their dated concert e-ticket for a free train ride to and from the park on the day of the event. The festival is located about 20 miles north of Chicago at Green Bay and Lake Cook Roads in Highland Park. Onsite parking is limited, and the festival operates a free park-and-ride shuttle bus service to nearby lots along the train line.

 

The safety of audiences, artists, staff and the community is Ravinia’s top priority. Expert advice guides our safety protocols, which are currently updated to ensure best practices; a variety of specialized programs and technology are engaged to ensure the venue is accessible and safe for all its patrons.


Visit the website for the most up-to-date programming and protocols. Tickets are on sale now.

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